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Assassins Creed 4: Black Flag |OT| Not Based on a DisneyLand Ride

M

mullet2000

Member
GrizzNKev said:
Oh shit. That was the best part of the game right there. Why was it cut?
Click to expand...

A lot of stuff was cut and moved around at the last minute. Really lazily in some cases.

There's another scene at the end...
where Connor is looking at a ship full of slaves. In this scene he is bleeding from the waist but there's no context for it at all. It was originally suppose to be right after killing Charles Lee in the ship near the end of the game, but the whole running after him and killing him in that bar was added last minute instead and they moved the slave scene to later in the game, forgetting to get rid of the blood.
 
S

Scrabble

Member
GrizzNKev said:
Oh shit. That was the best part of the game right there. Why was it cut?
Click to expand...

I'm of two minds about it. On one hand it's well written, and does a perfect job of signifying Connor's growth as a character, while also giving him a new purpose and motivation for what could come next. On the other hand I feel the epilogue already accomplishes that in a similar fashion, all without it being directly spelled out to the player. The problem is that players have to wait through a 30+ minute credit sequence, and that's just bullshit. They should have just combined the two before the credits, and come up with some animus contrived way to keep the player playing after the credits.

I think AC3 has a good story and do believe Connor is a great character, but the actual story telling was really poorly done. The way you tell your story, is just as important as the story its self. And that's where AC3 fails.
 
T

Toa TAK

Banned
Crafty_ said:
I think AC3 has a good story and do believe Connor is a great character, but the actual story telling was really poorly done. The way you tell your story, is just as important as the story its self. And that's where AC3 fails.
Click to expand...

Structure is the issue here. Something really noticeable like Achilles story between the main game and the Homestead was jarring.
 
G

GrizzNKev

Banned
Crafty_ said:
I'm of two minds about it. On one hand it's well written, and does a perfect job of signifying Connor's growth as a character, while also giving him a new purpose and motivation for what could come next. On the other hand I feel the epilogue already accomplishes that in a similar fashion, all without it being directly spelled out to the player. The problem is that players have to wait through a 30+ minute credit sequence, and that's just bullshit. They should have just combined the two before the credits, and come up with some animus contrived way to keep the player playing after the credits.

I think AC3 has a good story and do believe Connor is a great character, but the actual story telling was really poorly done. The way you tell your story, is just as important as the story its self. And that's where AC3 fails.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I agree with you. I look back at it now and I can't really identify any specific part of the story that I could describe as bad. It was just really poorly spaced out and organized in a way that didn't feel coherent. As a whole, outside the context of the temporal nature of the game, I can actually appreciate the story and characters.

That actually makes me worry about ACIV a little. From the videos I've seen Edward seems like a bit of a dunce. Maybe I won't mind once I'm playing though. A few more weeks until then.
 
F

Freezasaurus

Member
I had a funny little glitch while I was playing yesterday. I'd just finished boarding an English frigate and was teleported back to the deck of the Jackdaw.... only there was an English soldier standing near me just minding his own business... So naturally, I shanked him and tossed his body overboard, because no one likes a stowaway.
 
N

neorej

ERMYGERD!
So, what's the general consensus on AC4 Black Flag? Is the metacritic score a proper reflection of the game or is it a case of review-hype? I'm thinking of buying it on PC later this month, so that's why I ask.
 
W

Wolves Evolve

Member
Mendrox said:
Are you all kidding me? It's soo obvious, I thought it was a joke on the games side that they try to hide it? She even has a female voice
Click to expand...

Are you saying women can't play men? *summons tumblr*

No, yeah... it is -reasonably- obvious in retrospect but I wasn't 100% sure, and its definitely flagged as a surprise.
 
D

Deimo5

Member
The only thing I was surprised by in that regard is how she could go around like that and fool everyone without even changing her voice.
It was a relief when they finally confirmed it, it felt bizarre.
 
bumpkin

bumpkin

Member
AC3 really soured me on the franchise, but as I read the posts in the thread, it seems like there's a lot of love for this title. Color me interested… The only challenge I have is deciding which version to get since I have all three currently available consoles and both next gen on pre-order.

If I were to go current gen, is the Wii U version pretty much the best in terms of overall performance and IQ?
 
T

Tankshell

Member
Just pre-ordered this on PC via Green Man Gaming's 20% discount voucher: total damage: £32 (down from £39.99).

Roll on November 22nd.
 
SJRB

SJRB

Gold Member
Okay am I crazy or is the day/night cycle borked?

There seems to be no cycle at all when I was in Havannah and Nassau, and when I'm just cruising the seas the night lasts for 5 minutes.
 
W

Wind's Howling

Member
neorej said:
So, what's the general consensus on AC4 Black Flag? Is the metacritic score a proper reflection of the game or is it a case of review-hype? I'm thinking of buying it on PC later this month, so that's why I ask.
Click to expand...

For me the essence of the game that captures my inner gamer is the overall sense of good old fashioned fun where the story has been put in the background to compliment the great atmospheric world full of exploring, treasure hunting, animal skinning and upgrading.

I think I pretty much summed up the game for me in an entire sentence but let me explain my opinion a little further. The overall seriousness of Assassin's Creed 3 annoyed me so much, that I could hardly enjoy the things that were beyond its weak mechanics.
It was such a heavy story experience that the side-quests and collectable hunting became a meaningless job. The fact that it only started after 6-7 hours of playing the game was a huge letdown as well.

With this you are trusted into a world from the get-go. You have your basic tutorial but you already get this sense of being able to go anywhere. Does the tropical setting feel like a breath of fresh air? It surely does, imo.
Not to forget that the overall city layout is a much better experience where running around the rooftops is actually worth your time, with each ledge and pole being perfectly jumpable and/or scaleable without ruining the fluidity of animations.

The biggest improvement with this game is the sense of freedom. There are times where the pirate setting perfectly compliments the gameplay with the Jackdaw (ship), the naval combat and the great blend between riding the waves the one minute, and walking on an abandoned island the next hunting for treasure or killing wildlife to create that new holster, health etc. upgrade. There are a lot of things to do in this game and they hardly feel like filler.

It completely destroyed AC3 and almost topples Brotherhood for being my most favorite Assassin's Creed game to date. I was one of the skeptics when this game got announced but Ubisoft surely redeemed themselves with this game.
 
S

SkullplateMurray

Member
SJRB said:
Okay am I crazy or is the day/night cycle borked?

There seems to be no cycle at all when I was in Havannah and Nassau, and when I'm just cruising the seas the night lasts for 5 minutes.
Click to expand...

I figured it was like Wind Waker - it changes when you're on the world map, everywhere outside the three main cities where it's locked.
 
N

neorej

ERMYGERD!
Rivyn said:
For me the essence of the game that captures my inner gamer is the overall sense of good old fashioned fun where the story has been put in the background to compliment the great atmospheric world full of exploring, treasure hunting, animal skinning and upgrading.

I think I pretty much summed up the game for me in an entire sentence but let me explain my opinion a little further. The overall seriousness of Assassin's Creed 3 annoyed me so much, that I could hardly enjoy the things that were beyond its weak mechanics.
It was such a heavy story experience that the side-quests and collectable hunting became a meaningless job. The fact that it only started after 6-7 hours of playing the game was a huge letdown as well.

With this you are trusted into a world from the get-go. You have your basic tutorial but you already get this sense of being able to go anywhere. Does the tropical setting feel like a breath of fresh air? It surely does, imo.
Not to forget that the overall city layout is a much better experience where running around the rooftops is actually worth your time, with each ledge and pole being perfectly jumpable and/or scaleable without ruining the fluidity of animations.

The biggest improvement with this game is the sense of freedom. There are times where the pirate setting perfectly compliments the gameplay with the Jackdaw (ship), the naval combat and the great blend between riding the waves the one minute, and walking on an abandoned island the next hunting for treasure or killing wildlife to create that new holster, health etc. upgrade. There are a lot of things to do in this game and they hardly feel like filler.

It completely destroyed AC3 and almost topples Brotherhood for being my most favorite Assassin's Creed game to date. I was one of the skeptics when this game got announced but Ubisoft surely redeemed themselves with this game.
Click to expand...
Thanks for this.
 
C

Czigga

Member
I'm sure this has been asked 100x but I've never played an AC game before, but I'm really drawn to the setting of this one. Am I gonna be ok in terms of the story? or will I be completely lost.
 
Alec

Alec

Member
My game seems to be bugged. I'm stuck on 8\9 weapons and 5\6 sea animals for the Abstergo challenges. Literally the only things left for me to 100%.
 
E

Effect

Member
dancingphlower said:
ACIII had issues, but Connor wasn't one of them.

Really wish this dialogue wasn't cut:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6d79JHh3cU
Click to expand...

Sucks that was cut. Conner might not have been the life of the party but I did like him and this clip partly shows why. It again makes me certain AC3 has AC4 beat in terms of story. It had direction and purpose, even if you jumped around timeline wise with how the naval missions were setup. They really should have been integrated better. AC3 tried to push this epic or grand narrative. Didn't always work I admit but when it did it did well I think as shown in this clip.
 
Alec

Alec

Member
Effect said:
Sucks that was cut. Conner might not have been the life of the party but I did like him and this clip partly shows why. It again makes me certain AC3 has AC4 beat in terms of story. It had direction and purpose, even if you jumped around timeline wise with how the naval missions were setup. They really should have been integrated better. AC3 tried to push this epic or grand narrative. Didn't always work I admit but when it did it did well I think as shown in this clip.
Click to expand...

Revelations, AC3 and now AC4 all prove that focusing on character development is where the strengths of this franchise lie. Even when they were just creating romantic tension between Desmond and Lucy...
 
Q

Quantum

Member
I had loved AC2 Brotherhood. I liked AC2.

I have not played AC2 revelations and this weekend powered through 17 hours of AC3 - until I realized that getting stuck climbing trees and unlikeable characters were the norm.

I tend to stick with games until they are finished - hoping for redemption. I just couldn't do it - I was definitely LttP with AC3 but wanted to play it with expectations of picking up AC4.

I wish I had read this thread first because there is NO was I can bring myself to buy AC4 after that bore-fest.

I don't like to be bitter about games but I just don't understand what AC3 was going for - after reading the glowing reviews of AC4 here makes me want to pick it up, but after AC3 there is no way I'm going to pay anything near full price.

Not that I use reviews to make my decisions, but at the current time the Metacritic score for both games (AC3 and AC4) are exactly the same.
 
R

rhinosmitty

Neo Member
keltickennedy said:
So I read on the playstation blog that if I buy AC4 digitally off PSN the ps4 version will automatically show up for $10 for me in the store after the ps4 is released. Can anyone else confirm this? And also, if I were to buy the gold edition of the game, would I get a gold edition of the ps4 version?
Click to expand...

I just bought the digital version on PS3 and as it began to download a pop-up said that if I buy this on PS4 before the end of March 2014, it will only be $10.
 
O

Omni

Member
Czigga said:
I'm sure this has been asked 100x but I've never played an AC game before, but I'm really drawn to the setting of this one. Am I gonna be ok in terms of the story? or will I be completely lost.
Click to expand...

Let's put it this way. I've played all of the games in the series and still have no idea about what's going on.

The past-assassin [pirate] narrative you'll understand because it's pretty much like any other story - Pretty straight forward with the odd reference to previous games here and there.. It's the future stuff that surrounds it that you won't have any idea about. It's so fragmented and well... crazy (which I think is due in part to the fact that they were originally basing it on the 2012 end of the world thing. Now? Who the hell knows)
 
C

Curufinwe

Member
Quantum said:
I had loved AC2 Brotherhood. I liked AC2.

I have not played AC2 revelations and this weekend powered through 17 hours of AC3 - until I realized that getting stuck climbing trees and unlikeable characters were the norm.

I tend to stick with games until they are finished - hoping for redemption. I just couldn't do it - I was definitely LttP with AC3 but wanted to play it with expectations of picking up AC4.

I wish I had read this thread first because there is NO was I can bring myself to buy AC4 after that bore-fest.

I don't like to be bitter about games but I just don't understand what AC3 was going for - after reading the glowing reviews of AC4 here makes me want to pick it up, but after AC3 there is no way I'm going to pay anything near full price.

Not that I use reviews to make my decisions, but at the current time the Metacritic score for both games (AC3 and AC4) are exactly the same.
Click to expand...

I'm really glad I skipped AC3.
 
J

Jibbed

Member
SJRB said:
Uh, this is an impressions thread?
Click to expand...

Seems to be a lot of ACIII talk going on.. currently undecided if I'm going to bother with this or not. I've played AC1, 2, Brotherhood and III all the way through but I'm getting kinda tired of the series.
 
Alec

Alec

Member
Ezio said:
Man
the legendary ships(the 3 that I have found) are hard as hell!
Click to expand...

Yeah,
they appear in the four corners of the map. The one in the top-right are two ships that have to be bought at once. Tip: Don't kill one too long before the other...once you kill one, the other enrages and will kick the shit out of you if you can't take it down fast. I recommend getting them both to 10% before taking one out. I made sure my ship was fully upgraded before going after them all.
 
dancingphlower

dancingphlower

Member
MrWakes said:
That accomplished what I thought impossible, it made me want to replay III.
Click to expand...

I heard they made some of those horrid chase scenes better, so maybe your experience will be better this time!

Anyway, it seems like the series has been redeemed with Black Flag. I've been too swamped with stuff to buy it yet but the positive impressions are making me excited.
 
S

SummitAve

Banned
Jibbed said:
Seems to be a lot of ACIII talk going on.. currently undecided if I'm going to bother with this or not. I've played AC1, 2, Brotherhood and III all the way through but I'm getting kinda tired of the series.
Click to expand...

It seems like you have already answered your question. I attempted to play III and only made it a few hours in until I realised I was extremely tired of the series. Decided to jump back in because I'm in the middle of a move with no itnernet and needed something to kill some time. Black Flag is more of the same, but with a lot more boating and smaller cities. I'm enjoying it so far, but it really isn't any different gameplay wise... Oh I suppose the modern day stuff doesn't seem as shit anymore, but I've barely even bothered with it so far. So if you are really tired of the series I would say pass on it or redbox it for a couple nights like I did.
 
D

Dunan

Member
My copy arrived today and I put it in for an hour or so. Looks pretty good.

Question: are there any non-plot-related, niggling missable things that are better off known about before starting the game? I just found a "Sticky Note #2" on my Abstergo desk but never saw #1. I also saw many treasure chests appear on the map of the prologue area just as I got on a boat, possibly to sail away from there forever. Will there be chances to wander aronud and revisit old areas and pick up missed stuff?

Also, regarding AC3 and ACR: count me in with the Revelations fans. My men indeed. That game had the best multiplayer, some seriously-underappreciated short multiplayer music tracks, and we got to learn what finally became of both Altair and Ezio. The main story was short, but Constantinople was a great place to visit, and I really enjoyed it.

As for AC3, all my problems with the game were on the game-design side. Connor was fine. I didn't mind his voice actor; I loved hearing people speak Mohawk -- I intentionally hung around the starting point and failed the hide-and-seek mission during Connor's childhood, just so I could hear the other voice actor count up to 30 in Mohawk!

Where the game dropped the ball again and again was with the gameplay.

I remember railing epically about the crescendo of fail that was reached when, after driving me insane with insipid exhortations to go hunt some stupid bobcat in the middle of an extreemly difficult timed, straight-path mission towards the end, it then shoved even more sidequest cruft right into the very last mission of the game and ruining it utterly.

I like sidequests and off-the main-track stuff -- remember those great Truth puzzles in AC2? -- but AC3 was over-the-top ridiculous with them.

Other stuff was criminally under-used. I thought for sure that those tunnels were going to be something bigger than they were, and that when you visited New York as Desmond you would maybe explore them again by entering an unused maintenance door in a subway station or something cool like that, echoing your re-visit to today's Monteriggioni in ACB, but no, they swung and missed on that. When I first hid in a crowd as Desmond in the Brazil chapter with no HUD or other audio clue to tell me I was "hidden", I thought we'd get a chance to test our assassin skills as Desmond, fully integrating them without the Animus as a crutch, but no, the final Desmond chapter was just disgusting straight-up butchery.

Now I'm ranting about AC3 again. Let's hope that this game is an improvement.
 
G

glaurung

Member
Dunan said:
Question: are there any non-plot-related, niggling missable things that are better off known about before starting the game? I just found a "Sticky Note #2" on my Abstergo desk but never saw #1. I also saw many treasure chests appear on the map of the prologue area just as I got on a boat, possibly to sail away from there forever. Will there be chances to wander aronud and revisit old areas and pick up missed stuff?
Click to expand...
You can always come back.

The order in which certain collectible letters and messages is given to you is not necessarily in their proper sequence.
 
R

Regret Truth

Member
Crafty_ said:
I'm sure you're just playing around. but it gets kind of old seeing the constant scolding at anyone who enjoys a certain game. Do opinions really upset people that much? AC2 is far and away my favorite in the series, but AC3 is a great game as well. It wasn't trying to be just another AC2, which is something that I commend. Even if there are some rough spots.
Click to expand...

Scolding?

Whoa...relax. It was meant as a joke.
 
D

Dr Dogg

Member
White Man said:
Wait,
it was supposed to be a surprise that Kidd was a chick? Does she ever put her hair back into its cool original way?
Click to expand...

Hahaha I really can't see how. Though I did say earlier in the thread you will get a lot out of the game if you know your pirate lore, I think the audience for these games has shifted somewhat (and no not in a bad way before I get jumped on).

To be fair if you've ever read a book or two about piracy and the name
Mary Read cropped up it was bloody obvious from the start. Even then you can tell a mile off just by vocal pitch and appearance.

Maybe I'm just not down with the kids these days?
 
D

Dunan

Member
glaurung said:
You can always come back.

The order in which certain collectible letters and messages is given to you is not necessarily in their proper sequence.
Click to expand...

Good to know. I'm going into this game blind and basically don't want to look anything up or read anything about the game's plot other than instructions onhow to control things, but I do want to know about non-plot missables.

I'll get back to the game and return to this thread to praise or bash it when I'm done.
 
R

Regret Truth

Member
Crafty_ said:
I think AC3 has a good story and do believe Connor is a great character, but the actual story telling was really poorly done. The way you tell your story, is just as important as the story its self. And that's where AC3 fails.
Click to expand...

BOOM.

This.

I thought Connor was an awesome character that was poorly written. He had some of the best dialogue of any of the "Assassin" protagonists.

Doesn't help that AC3 butchered many of the mechanics that make the AC series great

-Combat downgraded (the worst in all of AC)
-Awful cites
-Frontier was boring
-The pacing of the story was dreadful
 
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